ICC Stakeholders Puzzle Over Future Champions Trophy Format 2002.

Pakistan will host the 2025 edition of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy, which was first held in 1998 under the name Wills International Cup. The right to host the competition, which will take place for the first time in eight years, was granted to the reigning winners.

The ICC stated that there will be a longer wait for the next edition because of the Future Tours Programme’s decreasing significance and the T20 World Cup’s increasing prominence. After the 50-over World Cup, the latter is currently regarded as the second important international competition. Many experts have also suggested that the Champions Trophy faces additional contextual difficulties because of the T20 World Cup’s biannual scheduling.

According to Cricbuzz, the ICC stakeholders and partner broadcasters convened in April at its Dubai headquarters to deliberate on the repurposing of the Champions Trophy. While there were supporters of ODIs in the ICC, a definitive decision was postponed while the advantages and disadvantages of the 50-over and 20-over formats were thoroughly examined. Important data presented at the meeting showed that, since the 2019 World Cup, there has been a 20% decrease in both the total audience size and active participation for ODIs.

The broadcasters, who are important supporters of international cricket, surely enjoy more commercial opportunities during a 100-over event than during a 40-over contest. An ODI yields 160 commercials, compared to about 100 in the T20 format, so if all spots are sold, the ODI has a higher overall profitability potential.

Arguments in favour of the one-day format focused on the idea that the World Cup, which was hosted in India the year before, was a resounding success. The Champions Trophy 2025 will prove to be an elastic medium to the ODI World Cup 2027, according to another hypothesis.

On the other hand, proponents of the T20 format also had good arguments. There is little chance that every commercial space will be sold for an ODI, and the cost of a one-dayer is far less. Broadcasters can collect as much as 60% of the possible revenue from a T20 match, which makes the latter more financially feasible than an ODI match.

While BCCI declines to visit Pakistan, ICC is mulling possibly co-hosting the Champions Trophy.

However, the main issue facing the organisers is determining how long the eight-team competition will take. The fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has forbidden visiting the neighbouring country due to political tensions between the two nations is now much more concerning. The 2025 edition of the ICC is considering a hybrid format, with UAE as the front-runner to serve as co-host. This is similar to the 2023 Asia Cup, where India played all of its matches in Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma Confirms T20 World Cup Squad Prior to IPL

Teams other than India might have to go back and forth between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in such a situation. Teams may be required to play two games in three days while travelling between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates due to the shortened schedule. Teams may be required to play two games in three days while travelling between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates due to the shortened schedule. This is a logistical and operational challenge and makes the 100-over format less than ideal.

It is now unclear if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can reach an agreement to share hosting rights with another country, or if the ICC can persuade the BCCI to play in Pakistan.